You can save money on your refrigeration costs at your commercial facility if you increase the efficiency of your refrigerator.

Unfortunately, many business owners and managers make mistakes that reduce the energy efficiency of a commercial refrigerator and unnecessarily bring up utility and repair costs.

The following are six mistakes you should avoid at your facility to decrease your refrigeration costs.

1. Having faulty gaskets and auto closers and not repairing them

Gaskets are the rubber, plastic, or vinyl seals that go around the edge of the refrigerator door. They are designed to maximize the airtightness of a refrigerator. If they become torn or damaged in some way, they will not seal out air as effectively as they should and thereby allow refrigerated air to escape.

Also, auto closers are important to maximizing efficiency because they ensure that the refrigerator door is not accidentally left open. It's important to test your auto closer once in a while to make sure it is still functioning properly.

2. Allowing clutter around your refrigerator to inhibit air circulation

A refrigerator needs to be able to bring in enough air over its heat exchange coils in order to function at maximum efficiency.

If there is a lot of clutter surrounding your refrigerator, your refrigerator unit might not be getting enough air and therefore won't operate at peak efficiency.

3. Not having night curtains up that help contain refrigerated air after hours

Night curtains can be placed over refrigerated display cases to improve their efficiency and prevent them from allowing refrigerated air to escape. These curtains can be pulled over display cases at the close of day when no customers will be looking in to display cases until the next day.

4. Running anti-sweat heaters all the time

In commercial refrigerators, anti-sweat heaters are often used to prevent condensation on windows from blocking the view of products in the refrigerator. While anti-sweat heaters might be necessary sometimes to ensure product visibility, you shouldn't be running them all the time.

Only turn on anti-sweat heaters when you notice condensation forming. Ambient conditions sometimes won't cause condensation to form and therefore won't require you to expend energy on powering these heaters.

5. Failing to clean off your refrigeration system to prevent debris buildup

Regular cleanings are important for ensuring proper air circulation and heat transfer within the system. In particular, you need to keep the coils free from dust and debris to maximize unit efficiency.

6. Not having motion sensors to turn lights on and off

Don't underestimate how much lighting in your refrigerator will consume electricity and energy. You only need lighting on when there are customers or staff members in the area.

You can optimize the use of lighting equipment in and around your refrigerator with motion sensors that will shut the light off when no one is around. For more information, contact a company like Dick Kearsley Service Center.

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About Me

Hi, my name is Kendra, and I am a sommelier. As a sommelier, I have worked in countless restaurants, and I have seen their challenges first hand. While most people (including me) talk a lot about wine and food pairings, I want to depart a bit and talk about something unusual – HVAC in restaurants. Restaurants have unique HVAC challenges – they need to keep the wine cellar cool, and they need to keep the kitchens from overheating as well. At the same time, the dinning room has to be comfortable. This isn't always easy to achieve especially if you are also dealing with a sweaty dance floor, offices and an outside patio. If you are interested in those HVAC topics, please explore this blog.